Docs to parents: Limit kids' texts, tweets, online

2:38 PM,
Oct. 28, 2013

In this Oct. 24, 2013 photo, Amy Risinger, right, watches her son Mark Risinger, 16, at their home in Glenview, Ill. Mark Risinger is allowed to use his smartphone and laptop in his room, and says he spends about four hours daily on the Internet doing homework, using Facebook and YouTube and watching movies. An influential pediatricians group is recommending strict limits on texting, tweeting and other media use, including banning smart phones, iPods and other Internet access from kids' bedrooms. Mark's mom said she agrees with restricting kids' time on social media but that deciding on other media limits should be up to parents. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

Written by

Lindsey Tanner

The recommendations are bound to prompt eye-rolling and LOLs from many teens but an influential pediatricians group says parents need to know that unrestricted media use can have serious consequences.

It's been linked with violence, cyberbullying, school woes, obesity, lack of sleep and a host of other problems. It's not a major cause of these troubles, but "many parents are clueless" about the profound impact media exposure can have on their children, said Dr. Victor ...